This invention relates to a chair which because of its characteristics and construction, as will be described, facilitates use by weakened, partially disabled, or infirm users suffering a variety of ailments in a manner constituting a distinct improvement over patient-type chairs of the prior art. Because of the comforts it provides, the chair of the invention also is appropriate for the seating needs of healthy users, and it is also a distinct improvement over chairs of the prior art for general seating use.
An important feature of this chair is its ability to provide a defined motion pattern in response to the body pressure of the user, such that the motion constitutes a controlled pattern and a relaxing sensation for the user.
There are many chair configurations which have found use in the hospital room, nursing home, extended care facility, sick room at home or as loungers for general use. No chair now available has the desirable motion characteristics of the chair described herein.
A major drawback of presently available chairs is the widespread problem of weakened users being unable to get out of the usual easy, or lounge, chairs by themselves because they haven't the strength to do so in the particular groups of muscles called into play by the configuration of the chair they were trying to get out of (typically the arm and upper body muscles). The problem is compounded by the relatively widespread incidence of back problems common among nurses and aides because of their having through their shift to help patients or wards out of chairs and into standing positions. One object of the invention is to provide a chair which enables the user to utilize his strongest muscles (usually leg muscles) for rising up out of the chair, by providing, in effect, a catapulting motion to the user.
Another problem with prior art chairs used in health care settings is the lack of seated comfort they provide. A major factor in this discomfort is the stationary aspect of the seating. Provision for some form of effortless motion prevents the concentration of pressure points at specific locations on the body which contact the chair and support weight.
This aspect of seating discomfort is caused by the inevitable concentration of body weight on specific portions of flesh. Under normal conditions of health and mobility, such pressure results in the desire to shift body weight and redistribute the pressure. However, in a weakened state and in a static chair, patients may be unable to do so. In the present invention, the natural motion of the chair provides relief.
Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a chair in which slight rocking or lilting motion can be achieved, which provides an opportunity for exercise to the debilitated user; and which also allows the constant partial shifting and redistribution of body weight and helps the patient to dissipate institutionally and health-related anxieties by moving and rocking.
A problem with chairs of the prior art that accommodate a rocking motion by the user, is that the axis of rotation usually falls somewhere between the user's knees and pelvis, so that as the user rocks backward, there is a tendency for the knees to move upwardly, causing the feet to leave the floor and creating an excess of pressure on the underside of the thighs. In addition, there is a further tendency in the prior art chairs, as the user pushes downward on the fronts of armrests in order to lift himself upwardly, for the armrest fronts to rotate downwardly, opposite the direction in which the user is trying to push. Thus, another object of the present invention is to provide a chair with a rocking motion, the axis of which is located in front of the knees, and armrest fronts remain stable while the body rotates backward into the chair back; and one that has no tendency to rock forwardly when the user pushes down on the armrests to lift himself out of the chair.
Another problem of many prior art chairs is instability in use, since many health care chairs have a tendency to tip forwards, sideways, or backwards under the varied conditions in which users try to enter and exit them. An object of the present invention is to provide a chair which will be stable under all normal circumstances of use.
A further problem encountered in the health care field is a variety of functions or treatments not normally performed in a lounge chair which must be performed or endured by a patient occasionally or intermittently while seated in the same chair. One such function is eating, another is urinating, another is the draining of body fluids into drainage bags, and still another is sitting upright or remaining seated under conditions of semi-consciousness or disorientation. A further object of the present invention is to provide a chair which accepts a variety of optionally used fittings to accommodate this diverse range of needs.
Yet another problem with many prior art chairs used in health care settings is the manner in which impact is absorbed when a user drops into the seat. The most common means of absorbing impact shock is with heavy padding, which besides its potentially hygienic limitations, if effective, often permits the sitter to sink too low to be able to lift himself out of the chair easily, and creates both bulk and weight which limit an institutional staff's ability to move the chair and adequately perform necessary floor maintenance operations.
Such stuffing materials also often create fire hazards by the use of highly combustible materials which generate high smoke density and toxicity on combustion. A further object of the present invention is to provide a chair of minimum required bulk which permits minimal use of materials that would fuel a fire and the structure of which absorbs initial impact by the user.
Another common problem with many prior art chairs is that the back is not orthopedically designed to provide good spinal support. Even chairs with orthopedically designed backs have problems in that as the user of the chair moves, the back support stays rigidly in position and does not flex, with the result that optimum spinal support is not maintained. This relative movement between a chair back and a sitter's spine can result in discomfort, particularly for hospital patients.
Thus, there is a need for a chair which can be used both by weakened and healthy sitters, is easy to get out of, provides a rocking motion, is stable, can be used for functions and treatments provided in the health care field, is a minimal fire hazard, and provides firm spinal support even for an active sitter.